“Lehi, His Brother, Was Not a Whit Behind Him”

Brant Gardner

Mormon’s story is about Nephi, and the calling of the famine and its release are very important to the narrative line that explains how the Gadiantons were removed from power. Mormon has not had much call to discuss Lehi, but apparently his source records did contain information about Lehi. Mormon’s respect for him leads him to indicate that he, too, was a righteous man and “not a whit behind” his brother. Considering the power of Nephi that is recorded, Lehi was also a great prophet and trusted by the Lord. The prominence of Nephi in the narrative comes from his position as the leader of the church, a position he held simultaneously with the chief judge’s seat, and retained even though he was no longer a chief judge.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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